Ooty, India

Ooty, India :

Ooty is situated deep within the Nilgiri Hills, Tamilnadu, India. Ooty is the district headquarters of the Nilgiris District. The Ootacamund assembly consitiruency is part of the Nilgiri Lok Saabha consitiruency. Ooty is well connected by good roads. It is 535 km from Chennai ( via Salem, Eroad, and Coimbatore ), 80 km from Coimbatore, 18 km from Coonoor, 155 km from Mysore ( via Gudalur ), 187 km from Kozhikode, 290 km from Bangalore ( via Mysore ), 281 km from Kochi ( via Coimbatore and Palakkad ) and 236 km from Kodaikanal (via Coimbatore and Palani ).

Ooty is situated on National Highway NH 67. It is connected by road to travelers from the states of Tamilnadu, Kerala and Karnataka via the five main accepted Nilgiri Ghat Roads. There is also a road from Mettupalayam ( Coimbatore ) to Ooty via kotagiri. This road does not pass through Coonoor town.

The origin of the name Udhagamandalam id obscure. The frist mention of the place occurs in a letter of March 1821 to the Madras Gazette from correspondent as Wotokymund. In early times it was called OttaikalMandu. “Mund” is the Tamil word for a Toda village and the first part of the name is probably a corruption of the local name for the central region of the Nilgiri Plateau.

Another likely origin of the stem of the name ( Ootaca ) comes from the local language in whilch Otha-cal literally means Single Stone. This is prehaps a reference to a sacred stone revered by the local Toda people. The name propably changed under British rule from Udhagamandalam to Ootacamund, and later was shortend to Ooty.

Ooty is the famous tourist spot in India. Ooty is situated deep within the Nilgiri Hills. It was originally a tribal land and was occupied by the Toads along with other tribes who coexisted through specialisation and trade. The major tribes of Nilgiri area are Todas, Kotas, Badagas abd Alu Kurumbas. Who settled in and around Ooty.

Ooty is still a supply base and market town for the surrounding area which is still largely dependent on agriculture, notably the cultivatin of ” Engilsh Vegetables ” and “Engilsh Fruits” grown locally. Ooty Muncipal Market is one of the largest retail markets in India. Dairy farm, Agricultural industry, Certain Research Institues, Soil Conservation Center, Potato reaserch farms here in Ooty.
Ooty is connected by a lightly cinnecting train service. The Railway Station for Ooty is Udhagamandalm Railway Station. Mettupalayam provides the interchange between the Nilgiri Passenger service and the Nilgiri Express broad Gauge service. The Nilgiri Mountain Railway (NMR) is one of the mountain railways in India. The Nilgiri Mountain Railway was declared by the UNESCO as World Heritage Site in july 2005. This connects Ootaccamund with the town of Mettupalayam at the foothills of the Nilgiri Mountains. It is only rack railway in India, and uses the Abt system.

Ooty is the one of the most tourist spot in the world. Located in the Blue Mountains of the Weatern Ghats, Ooty drawa a large numger of tourists every year. Lofty mountains, great lakes, dense forests, sprawling grasslands, miles of tes gardens and eucalyptus trees great the vsitors in route to Ooty. The Hill Station itself is a land of Picturesque Picnic Spots. The Ooty Hill Spot is situated at an altitude of 2,240 meters (7,350 ft) above sea level.

The Government Rose Garden is the largest rose garden in India. It is situated on the slopes of the Elk Hill in Vijayanagaram of Ooty town in Tamil Nadu, India, at an altitude of 2200 meters. To day this garden has one of the largest collection of roses in the country with more then 20,000 varieties of roses of 2,800 cultivars. The collection include Hybird Tea Roses, Miniature Roses, Poluanthas, Papagena, Floribunda, Ramblers, Yakimour and roses of unusual colours like black and green.

The 22- acres Ooty Botanical Gardens was laid out in 1847 and is maintained by the Government of Tamil Nadu. The Botanical Garden is lush, green, and well mainted. The Gardens have around a thousand species, bothexotic and indigenous. The garden has a 20- milion-year-old fossolized tree.

Ooty lake covers on area of 65 acres. The Boat Houses established alongside the lake, which offers boating facilities to tourists, is a major tourist attraction in Ooty. It was construced in 1824. During the summer seasion in May boat races are orgainsed for two days at the lake.

Stone House is the fotst bunglow constructed in Ooty. It was built by Jhon Sullivan in 1822. To day, it is the offcial residence for the principal of the Government Arts Collage, Ooty.
Ooty also Tribal Museum, Deer Park, Wax World, Ooty Golf Course, Emerald Lake, Avalanche Lake, Porthimund Lake, Upper Bhavani, Pine Forest Ect.